Clippers what won't these things do?????

Today I learned how to clean-up an older gentleman's ears.  Really, I used clippers to clean unruly hairs off of an ear.  I'm not sure if this is service to mention on my resume' or maybe it's something I just pretend to have never done.  To Ear or Not To Ear that is the question....

Time

1st perm....4 hours and a lot of tears
2nd perm...90 minutes after a 4 inch 90 cut
3rd perm...53 minutes
4th perm...50 minutes
5th perm...46 minutes

It's a good thing I'm rolling on a mannequin because if she actually talked back to all my chatty kathy gossip we could be in for a very long service.  Just being silly...but I am looking forward to quicker rolling.

Umm Yeah, Your Client is throwing our Shampoo in our Receptionist Area

OK  So I had the cutest little 3 year old girl visit the salon the other day.  She truly looked like a little china doll.  I loved, loved, loved, loved her and she was my client.  I sat her up on the tall booster chair, put on her oversized apron, and performed a thorough yet quick consultation with her and Mom.

Next thing I know this cutie is reaching high and low at just about every interesting thing in my station.  Clips, Combs, and Brushes, oh my....

Then my trusted-very gifted instructor comes over to help me execute Mom's desire for her little angel to have a "clean and not ratted" hair style.  As I'm methodically pulling out my shears, sanitizing my hands, and getting my comb ready for parting my instructor leans into me and says...

"OK Bobbie time is key here.  Were not going to shampoo her, spritz her, or section her I want you get her hair in a low pony, tie it tight, and do one quick-straight cut.  You have less than 30 seconds to make your move - you are working on a young client."

As any good student would do I followed every word and as soon as I made the one quick-straight cut all of my clients baby fine hair fell into a wonderfully perfect diagonal forward - I was shocked it worked.  Soon after the beautiful little girl was off to wondering, looking, touching, feeling, and mostly moving.  The next few moments involved me, my instructor, and another student taking turns holding the little girl while we took turns clipping and cleaning up a few hairs out of place on this very quick cut.

Shortly after the wonderful service I delivered the beautiful girl to a wonderfully satisfied Mommy who was also getting a cut and color service.  Then I went onto style my mannequin heads with perm rods, rollers, and anything else educational during my down time.

Not too long into my work I have a tap on my shoulder by the receptionist letting me know that my client is sifting through receptionist area throwing shampoo and feverishly "reading" magazines.  The key words here are "my client" I still had a client in the salon even if she was not in my chair.

What's the point of the long story....well a quick one stroke cut doesn't necessarily mean it's a quick client.  The experience is 90% relational and 10% hair.

2nd Client and Feeling Good

This is Nancy and she is a hard working crisis rehabilitation nurse.  Nancy responded to my Craigslist add for a $9 haircut and her purpose in visiting me was to correct her 3 inch difference in the length of her face framing and to clean up her layers.  It was an enjoyable challenge to wash, cut, and style Nancy's loooooooong thick beautiful hair.  The best part was getting to use my 5 inch round brush - it's as wide as a coffee pot and makes great big round curls.  I had a great time with Nancy and I simply cannot wait for her next visit in 4-6 weeks.

My First Client

What a relief my first client was a sweetheart!  Gretchen came to visit me on her way to the movies with friends. I did a simple all one length with a smidge off of her layers and easy peasy face framing.  Today I learned how to face frame with one cut.   It felt a lot like geometry and cutting a line on a shape that would cause both sides of the face frame to fall at an equal length.  The trick was trusting the guide line and confidently making the cut.  I had a great deal of help from Mrs. Louise, who is a great instructor, she and I made Gretchen smile.  I can't believe I will one day get paid to make people smile...

Perms, Relaxers, and Curl Reformation

This week I'm learning all about perms and in the midst of juggling thin papers, perming rods, and mannequin hair I learned the history of perming hair.  The earliest form of curling hair dates back to the Egyptians who would apply mud to their hair, roll partings around wooden sticks, and sit in the sun to bake the curl.  After the mud dried it would flake off and the curl would last a few days to weeks.  So, who's up for a mud wrap?


What's your craziest perm story?
Do you have any wild perm pictures?

Demo on how to curl straight hair.